Wānaka snowboarder Zoi Sadowski-Synnott acknowledged she was "pretty nervous" dropping in as the top seed for the women’s big air final at the Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina yesterday.
But after crashing during her landing on the first run, the 24-year-old rebounded and executed her final two runs perfectly to win silver with a score of 172.25.
Japanese world champion Murase Kokomo won gold with 179 and Korean newcomer Yu Seungeun took bronze with 171.
"I've never been so nervous for a competition before," Sadowski-Synnott told Sky Sport.
"Scary tricks and putting them down when it matters is really hard.
"Not landing it definitely calmed my nerves a bit, because I was like, ‘that’s the worst thing that can happen’.
"I’m just really stoked that I was able to put that second run down and then my third run down."
Sadowski-Synnott breezed through Monday’s qualifying rounds, coming into the final as the top seed.
Dropping into the final as the last rider, Sadowski-Synnott failed to land her switch backside 1440 in the first round, leaving her with a score of 27.75 for 10th place.
Scores are taken from an athlete’s best two of three runs, meaning Sadowski-Synnott needed to be perfect on her final runs to be in with a shot at the podium.
And she delivered — stomping a backside triplecork 1440 for a score of 88.75, to move into eighth and in touch heading into the final round.
Dropping in fifth for the final run, she landed a switch backside 1260 and smacked her hands together in delight after a clean landing.
She scored 83.50 for an overall score of 172.25 to move into top spot and had a nervous wait with six riders left.
"I landed and . . . so stoked. I just can’t even explain it," Sadowski-Synnott said.
"After I got my score I just ran over to my family and gave them a big hug and there were some tears.
"I knew that it probably wasn’t going to hold. There were so many girls to go and so to end up with a silver, I’m just so happy."
Kokomo landed a frontside 1440 on her final run, bumping the Kiwi from pole position, and Seungeun crashed her final landing but had done enough earlier to secure bronze.
The Kiwi walked away from the competition feeling inspired seeing how far women’s snowboarding had come through the last Olympic cycle, she said.
She is back in action on Monday, out to defend her slopestyle crown in the qualifiers.
Fellow Wānaka snowboarder Cal Melville Ives makes his Olympic debut this morning, competing in the men’s snowboard halfpipe qualifiers.
Women’s final: Zoi Sadowski-Synnott 88.75, 83.50, silver medal.
7.30am (tomorrow): Men’s qualifying (Cam Melville Ives)
| 1. Norway | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| 2. Switzerland | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 3. Japan | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
| 4. Germany | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 5. USA | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 6. Austria | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 7. Italy | 1 | 2 | 6 | 9 |
| 8. Czech Rep | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 9. France | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 10. Netherlands | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 14. New Zealand | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
